1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof connector for waterproofing a terminal and a cable on the basis of sealing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional waterproof connector is provided with a terminal housing in an inner portion of a connector housing, a mating hollow to which an opposing connector is fitted in a forward portion thereof, and a seal fitted to the terminal housing in a rearward portion thereof. The seal is provided with a plurality of through holes to which cables provided with terminals at front ends are respectively inserted. A rear holder is further inserted to a rear portion thereof, whereby the seal is fixed, and the cables and the terminals are waterproofed.
In the conventional waterproof connector, when the terminals are inserted from the rearward portion, the terminals pass through an insertion holes of the rear holder and reach the through holes in the seal. At this time, since no means for suitably guiding the terminals is provided, there is a disadvantage that the terminals abut lips of the through holes at a time when the terminals reach the seal in the case that the terminals are inserted in an inclined manner. Accordingly, an assembling operation hardens, the front ends of the terminal injure the seal, and in some cases, a sealing property is deteriorated due to the injury.
The present invention is made by taking the problems in the conventional waterproof connector into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector in which a length of the terminal insertion holes in a rear holder is necessarily and sufficiently set so as to restrict an incline of terminals, whereby front ends of the terminals are smoothly inserted to through holes of a packing.
The waterproof connector according to the present invention is provided with a connector housing having a mating hollow to which an opposing connector is fitted, a seal fitted to an opposite side to the mating hollow of the connector housing, and a rear holder inserted and fitted to the connector housing. The seal is further provided with a plurality of through holes to which cables provided with terminals at front ends are respectively inserted, and the rear holder is provided with insertion holes communicating with the through holes respectively. The rear holder allows the cable to pass through at a time of being inserted to a temporary engaging position, and presses the seal so as to fix at a time of being inserted to a regular engaging position. The insertion holes are extended so as to have a length at a degree at which a front end thereof is not brought into contact with lips of the through holes even when the inserted terminals are inclined. Any one or both of the connector housing and the rear holder is provided with one or more ribs sliding pressure contact with an opposing member, and the rib extends in a fitting and inserting direction of the rear holder.
The terminal is inserted to the insertion hole provided in the rear holder in a state of setting the rear holder at the temporary engaging position. Since the insertion hole has a sufficient length, the insertion hole restricts an incline of the inserted terminals. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the front ends of the terminal from striking the ports of the through holes at a time when the front ends of the terminal reach the seal, thereby being smoothly guided to the through holes.
Since the ribs protruded from one of the connector housing and the rear holder is pressure contacted with another at a time of inserting and fitting the rear holder to the connector housing, the ribs prevent the rear holder from being bumpy, and further it is possible to prevent the terminal inserted to the terminal insertion hole in the rear holder from being widely inclined with respect to the seal. Further, since the ribs are continuously provided in the inserting direction of the rear holder, it is possible to smoothen the insert thereof.